What Is The Best Age To Move Into A Retirement Community?
When you think of a senior living or retirement community, you may assume it’s a place strictly for the most mature ages or people with health problems that prevent them from living independently. Fortunately, these stereotypes are falling by the wayside as more dynamic and lively life plan communities arise — like Meadowood.
Communities like Meadowood offer a completely different style of living than what you may think:
- Total independence
- Beautiful gardens
- Dining areas that feel more like restaurants than boring dining halls
- Facilities for woodworking, horticulture, and more where you can enjoy all of your favorite hobbies either solo or with friends and family
And this is all, of course, supported by skilled nursing and healthcare resources if and when you need them, including personal care and memory care.
That’s why the thought of moving into a life plan community is now something to be looked forward to and considered with excitement rather than something to avoid until you have no choice. You may be wondering: what is the best age to move into a retirement community? The answer varies, but the best time to start considering whether this change is right for you is now.
What Is The Best Age To Move Into A Retirement Community?
Our residents are an essential source of feedback and input with the most insight into what it’s like to make the transition to a life plan community. For this blog, we interviewed Sharon Rossi to get her answer to the question, “what is the best age to move into a retirement community?” Sharon is a credible example of a typical Meadowood resident as she still works as a marketing strategist in the tourism industry. She offered us tips to share with anyone wrestling with this question.
A straightforward answer is that it’s a great idea to start thinking about your plan 8-10 years before you think you may need to make the transition. However, it’s never too early to consider making the change. For example, Sharon and her husband began considering their decision about 8 years before they made the actual transition. Beginning the consideration process early was driven by a desire to maintain control over their lifestyle.
Sharon felt it was important to make the decision and the transition at a time when it was driven by choice and not because an unexpected health event forced a quick decision.
“Now is the time to start choosing and making these decisions, because you still have the opportunity to thoughtfully plan out what that next stage of life will look like. This was much more preferable to me than avoiding the decision until it was taken out of my hands and I had fewer choices,” Sharon said.
The Transition To A Life Plan Community Can Be Exciting And Fun
Sharon also noted that residents sometimes don’t realize the opportunity they have when making this transition.
“When you move into a new apartment, a new home, you will usually get excited about decorating, choosing paint colors, deciding which pictures will go on which wall, etc. I don’t think people always realize that Meadowood offers the same opportunity. I think it’s common for people to forget that when thinking about a retirement community, and they can miss out on the excitement and inspiration that should be part of the process. What they must always remember is that they are rebuilding a new environment for the rest of their lives.”
To Sharon’s point, simply moving in your belongings won’t necessarily make a house feel like a home – and in her case, it was arranging 145 works of art within a 1400 square foot space. When making the transition to a life plan community, there’s an opportunity to put real intention toward your new home’s interior look and feel – to make it yours – and that’s something to get excited about.
For example, another Meadowood resident who is an interior designer chose a shade of fuchsia for her entryway. Thanks to her eye for color and design, the entryway came out looking beautiful and reflects her unique style in a way that makes her feel at home and satisfies her passion for creativity and self-expression. When considering a major change like moving to a retirement community, it’s important to remember that your passion, creativity, and independence should be nurtured rather than stifled. There’s no need to leave those things behind when transitioning to senior living. Our residents find this makes all the difference in their day-to-day experience of life at Meadowood and can transform a potentially stressful or anxiety-inducing decision into a fun and exciting experience.
It’s Never Too Early To Consider Meadowood
If maintaining a carefree and independent lifestyle is important to you, don’t wait until unexpected health events decide for you. Contact us to schedule a visit or request a brochure today so you can begin planning this next stage of your life with intention and optimism. We look forward to getting to know you and the unique flair you can bring to our community!